Khadse an asset, CM may include him in Maha Cabinet: Mahajan

ST Correspondent

Sunday, 6 May 2018

Pune: Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse will be an asset to the party if he comes back to the Cabinet, said Girish Mahajan, State Minister for Water Resources and Medical Education, during a press interaction in the city on Saturday.

Khadse is one of the few Maratha faces in the BJP and is known to have a stronghold on rural politics with cooperation across parties. He also has been critical of his own party on a few occasions.

Pune: Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse will be an asset to the party if he comes back to the Cabinet, said Girish Mahajan, State Minister for Water Resources and Medical Education, during a press interaction in the city on Saturday.

Khadse is one of the few Maratha faces in the BJP and is known to have a stronghold on rural politics with cooperation across parties. He also has been critical of his own party on a few occasions.

Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday gave a clean chit to Khadse after submitting a report to a special court in Pune saying that the allegations of ‘misuse of power and position as minister’ have not been proved.

Khadse had resigned in June 2016 after allegations came forth stating that his wife Mandakini and his son-in-law Girish Chaudhari had bought a property that was already acquired by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
Mahajan on Saturday said that only a formal decision by the court is awaited to give him a clean chit. “If this happens then he may be included in the Cabinet by the chief minister. In that case, he will be an asset to the party. Khadse is a seasoned politician and has a strong experience over the years. He will grant the party strength,” he said.

He also said that he is happy that Khadse got the clean chit. When asked if senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal would be joining BJP, Mahajan said that the party has many experienced leaders and seasoned politicians and there would not be any such need. “And the case is in the court so I will not be able to comment much on it,” said Mahajan.
While replying to a question, Mahajan said that BJP did not play a game of revenge with Bhujbal. “The corruption cases related to Bhujbal were started in the reign of the previous government. And there is no role of the government, it is a legal issue and the respective authority is looking into it,” said Mahajan. The Mumbai High Court on Friday granted bail to Bhujbal in a money laundering case.